Champions Know the "Rules" of the "Game"          I can't tell you how many times, as a mortgage lender, I hear rumors or misconceptions expressed to me regarding the mortgage process.         So much of my time is focused on promoting the "un-learning" of what a client thinks they know as they enter the act of obtaining mortgage financing. So much time is used addressing frustrations with the process itself.         No one needs to think too hard or long as to WHY there are so many misconceptions or frustrations.   If the process of mortgage financing was viewed as a "game" of some sort ... you'd definitely have needed a scorecard and notepad to have kept up with all the changes made in the "game" during the last few years.   It's been mind-boggling, for sure.         Last Sunday's B... 01/15/2012

Announcing the "Comeback Kid" ... PMI! (Private Mortgage Insurance)               In the good news department, it appears that the private mortgage insurance companies may be loosening up their guidelines and appear to be regaining a lost share of business that FHA has been enjoying.         Coupled with the higher monthly mortgage insurance costs associated with FHA loans now, and the "availability" of privately issued mortgage insurance, more Conventional loan scenarios are taking hold.         Of those options at 5% down, single premium (paid upfront at closing) is emerging from the pack. With the single premium upfront private mortgage insurance, borrowers pay a lump sum at closing as part of the total costs of their mortgage. This eliminates any monthly private mortgage insurance ... 01/02/2012

Currently there are 669 single family homes on the market in Plainfield, Illinois. The average list price is $261,729 with an average market time of 236 days. There are 36 single family homes with 2 or less bedrooms with an average list price of $183,976 and an average market time of 309 days. There are 224 single family homes with 3 bedrooms with an average list price of $195,434 and an average market time of 214 days. There are 367 single family homes with 4 bedrooms with an average list price of $298,669 and an average market time of 244 days, There are 42 single family homes with 5 or more bedrooms with an average list price of $359,167 and an average market time of 222 days. 01/01/2012

The New Year is Upon Us.  Make '2012' the Year of YOU! The headline reads ...     Average 30-year mortgage rate a record 3.91 pct. Average rate on 30-year fixed mortgage falls to record         3.91 pct., 15-year flat at 3.21 pct.         And yes ... this means if you're one of those that have earned good credit scores, you could receive this record low interest rate for your mortgage.      Remarkable, isn't it??  And to just prove how very remarkable it is ... I tell you, I've been in the mortgage business for 35 years and when I started out back in the mid-1970's, the average mortgage rate was in the 6% range.  Again I say, remarkable!     But this post isn't really meant for those that have good credit scores.  (Although I hope you read it and take action to contact me too!)  No, it... 12/23/2011

In the month of November 2011, there were 77 new properties that began the foreclosure process in Plainfield, IL.  In November 2010, there were 79 new properties that began the foreclosure process.  Not really much of a change when comparing  market snapshots for the same time year to year. Illinois is a judicial state, meaning that the lender must take legal action against the homeowner in a court to regain ownership of the property.  From the time the Lis Pendens is filed the owners have anywhere from 6 months upwards of nearly 2 years before the lender takes back the property.  Some lenders work faster than others, while some lenders seem to almost passively pursue the ability to reclaim the property. I have seen some lenders set auction dates as early as 8 months after the Lis Pende... 12/16/2011

The amount of foreclosure proceedings for 2011 are up from 660 new pre-foreclosure filings in 2010 to 944 new filings in 2011. These numbers are from January 1st through November 30th for both years.  Until the end of this final month of the year I won’t have the final yearly totals, so I compared both years through the end of November to keep the comparisons consistent. This is not good news for anyone looking to sell a home as a regular residential sale in Plainfield IL anytime soon. These homes will most likely sell at discount through either short sale or through foreclosure, which will continue to drive down the prices of regular residential real estate throughout the community in the long term.  But really, how much lower can prices get?  I can’t believe the closed comps on some o... 12/16/2011

        In October, 74 single family homes sold in Plainfield IL.  The homes ranged in price from $89,000 all the way up to $635,000.   While the number of distressed home sales is still holding steady at an alarming 38.9%, we are down from the 50% ratio that consumed most of these reports in 2010 and earlier this year in 2011.   Of the 74 single family homes that closed in Plainfield, 18 of these homes were bank foreclosures that made up 24% of the total sales for the area in October.  Another 11 single family homes that closed during the same time were short sales, consuming 14.9% of the market share.   Without being either pessimistic, or overly optimistic, seeing numbers under the 50% mark is encouraging.  Unfortunately, the lack of any improvements in the economy, or in the unemplo... 11/30/2011

Bring your child(ren) to downtown this Saturday starting at 10am and get some goodies! Starting at the MainStreet Plainfield office located at 24044 W. Lockport Street and pick up your Trick-or-Treat bag and then follow the orange or green plastic pumpkins and treat signs and visit the 29 participating shops & restaurants for some Halloween treats! Make sure they are wearing their costume! 10/27/2011

Alpine Meadows - Arbor Creek - Arbor Creek is a single family and townhome community built in the early to mid 2000's by Krughoff Homebuilders. The town homes feature floor plans ranging from 1,309 to 2,301 square feet of living space. In addition to the townhouses at Arbor Creek, ranch and two story Villa homes are also available. The ranch floor plans range from 2,180 to 2,380 square feet of living space. The two-story plans range in size from 2,221 to 2,901 square feet (including basement). Arbor Creek is located in Plainfield, Illinois south of Lincoln Highway and west of I-55. Arbor of Plainfield - Arbor of Plainfield is a single family community located in Plainfield, Illinois. Ashbury Farms - Ashbury Farms is a single family home neighborhood built in the mid 1990's. Ashbury Far... 09/16/2011

The following single family homes have closed in the Clearwater Springs and Aspen Falls Subdivision in the last 6 months from February 2011 through August 2011. 6706 Langsford Ln. closed at $110,000 (F) 7015 Waterway Ct. closed at $127,100  (F) 7013 Pyramid Dr. closed at $130,000 (F) 7008 Desert Dr. closed at $135,000 6985 Sierra Ct. closed at $170,000 2517 Sierra Ave. closed at $170,000 (F) 2705 Mirage Ave. closed at $177,000 2912 Horizon Ct. closed at $193,000 2655 Stonebridge Ct. closed at $196,000 2804 Discovery Dr. closed at $200,000 (F) 2605 Clear Creek Ct. closed at $255,000 The combined subdivision of Aspen Falls and Clearwater Springs in Plainfield IL are located on the northeast corner of the Caton Farm and County Line intersection.  The entrance to the subdivision is marked b... 08/29/2011

The following properties have closed in the Heritage Oaks subdivision in Plainfield IL between February 26th, 2011 and August 26th, 2011: 24853 Winterberry Dr. closed at $221,000 (F) 12116 Winterberry Dr. closed at $271,000 (S) 12125 Winterberry Dr. closed at $305,000 Heritage Oaks is a luxury custom home community located in Plainfield IL.  Heritage Oaks subdivision is a highly sought after neighborhood due to it's close proximity to Rt. 59 for commuters, and the convenience of shopping, dining and entertainment.  Plainfield IL is a quick 45 mintues into Chicago via I-55 to Lake Shore Dr.  The train stations in Aurora, Naperville, and Joliet make communting a viable option for those that commute to the city for work.  If you, or someone you know, is interested in buying or selling a ho... 08/26/2011

The following property addresses have closed in the Wesmere subdivision in Plainfield IL in the last 6 months between February 26th, 2011 and August 26th, 2011: 1717 Emerald Pointe Cir. closed at $112,500 (F) 1607 Lake Pointe Ct. closed at $114,010 (F) 1903 Arbor Fields Dr. closed at $115,001 (F) 5815 Emerald Pointe Cir. closed at $122,000 (F) 1712 Whispering Oakds Dr. closed at $130,000 (F) 2055 Winding Lakes Dr. closed at $132,000 (S) 5813 Emerald Pointe Dr. closed at $132,000 2222 Candlewood Dr. closed at $136,000 (F) 2202 Wesmere Lakes Dr. closed at $140,600 (F) 5508 Hickory Grove Ct. closed at $145,900 (F) 5612 Cider Grove Ct. closed at $146,900 (F) 1718 Emerald Pointe Cir. closed at $147,000 (F) 1905 Westmore Grove Dr. closed at $147,500 (F) 1915 Long Ridge Ct. closed at $149,000 ... 08/26/2011

Currently in the Plainfield, IL market, there are 886 homes listed for sale. Homes range from 79,900 to $2,200,000. Of the 886 homes listed, 262 are short sales ranging from $85,000 to $549,900. 63 are bank owned/foreclosed homes ranging from $66,000 to $549,875. Whether you are interested in buying a traditional, bank-owned or a short sale, contact LaNita Cates with REMAX Realty of Joliet. Call 630-341-1545 or visit www.lanitacates.com. 08/18/2011

The numbers of distressed sales are holding steady from the same time last year with only a slight increase in the amount distressed home sales from up from 37.8% in June 2010 to  38.2% in June 2011. There was also an increase in the amount of sales in Plainfield IL totaling 110 closed single family homes up from 95 closed single family home sales last year.  In addition average market times decreased from 190 days in June of 2010 to 165 days in June 2011. Unfortunately the average single family home value in Plainfield continues to decline.  The average single family home price in Plainfield IL right now is at $229,414 which fell another 8.4% from the same time last year which was $250,234, which isn’t great news for anyone hoping last year that the market values would improve. Did you... 07/31/2011

            I've been reminded several times over the last couple of weeks of just how important it is for new home buyers to have an experienced real estate specific attorney at their side throughout their home buying experience and home closing.       I've had closings where a top-knotch real estate attorney has been in attendance.  It's been obvious that they've interacted with our mutual clients throughout their entire home buying transaction.  They (or their office) has continually and actively interacted with me, their client's lender, throughout processing.       During the home closing itself, they've been engaged and interacted with everyone at the closing table.  They offered insight, guidance, and paved a clear path towards the completion of a successful home closing.  It's e... 07/18/2011

It's hard to know where we are going if we have no idea where we are coming from.  In order to make sense of the numbers year to year and month by month, we have to have something to compare the health of the real estate economy in Plainfield IL to, and last year, only 199 attached single family properties sold.  In 365 days, that's not a lot of property... but to put in into perspective, Plainfield is mainly comprised of single family homes, so those numbers do not alarm me as much as those figures might suggest.  What always alarms me is the high number of foreclosures and short sales taking over the market in our area.  Mostly the high number of foreclosures and the low number of successful short sales.  In 2010, there were 59 foreclosures in the townhome, duplex and condo market of ... 05/02/2011

If you live in Plainfield or if you are thinking about making this great city your home, you might want to keep up-to-date on what's going on in the real estate market.  Are you looking for current information?  Are you looking to sell your home and can't decide whether this is the right time for you and your family?  Have you thought about purchasing a home but need more information?  Then this is the site for you! You will find helpful statistics that will open your eyes to the reality of what's sold and what is selling.   I have included some great information on what has sold and the price ranges, days on market, month to month comparisons, and year ending comparisons.  This information does not target individual subdivisions but is meant to be an overall view of the Plainfield mark... 04/19/2011

Wow, I’ve been neglecting my blog because I’ve been busy working, (which is good right?)  but I have a lot of catching up to do!  I can’t believe it’s March already!  I’ve got the January market report for you for Plainfield ready now, and it’s painting a better picture of something I thought might have skewed the upbeat numbers last month.  December 30th was originally the date that buyers had to close by in order to qualify for the tax credit last year, and there was a mad rush to purchase property in the last quarter of the year.  Unfortunately, January’s numbers aren’t good. 40 single family Plainfield homes closed in January 2011.  A shocking 62% of those homes were distressed home sales!  SIXTY-TWO percent. That number seems almost unbelievable…. There was also a 13.1% decrease in... 03/20/2011

Highest and Best may be.... Best from the start.Attention buyers ~ it may not be a buyers market after all.  In some specific price ranges and types of sales, sellers have the upper hand.  In southwest Plainfield, IL there are plenty of foreclosed and short sale homes in fair condition listed for under $140,000.  These are homes that once sold for over $225,000 in many cases.  I have seen homes with 30 plus REALTOR cards on the counter top indicating 30 plus showings.  I've been told there are no more showings after 10 days on the market because there were too many offers.  Even for homes imperfect homes at slightly higher prices there can be fierce competition amongst buyers.Last week I wrote 2 offers for foreclosed homes.  The first home was listed at $129,900 and my buyer's offer was... 02/24/2011

A shimmer of hope.  A spark?  A flicker of light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel?!  Say it’s true… oh, someone say that it’s true. IT’S TRUE!!! In what is often thought to be one of the slowest months in real estate here in the Midwest, there is a positive trend in the real estate numbers here in Plainfield that can be seen when we compare the numbers in real estate closings from December 2009 with the numbers from this past December 2010. Home sales were up 8% from the same month last year! Average single family home prices were up 10% from the same month last year too!  The average single family home price for a house in Plainfield IL in December 2010 was $257,752, up from just $234,483 at the same time last year. Want to hear more good news? The number of distressed real es... 01/21/2011